Pictures of Innocence
by snowleaf
Summary: Oneshots. [RyoSaku]
1. Unromantic Kiss

**Title:** The Un-Romantic Kiss  
**Rating:** PG  
**Characters: **Prince of Tennis – Ryoma, Sakuno  
**Disclaimer:** If I were Konomi-sensei, I'd make Sakuno appear more on PoT manga. There! One of my three magical wishes.

* * *

Everyone knew. The first time that they kissed was _definitely_ not romantic. 

It was right after Seigaku had won the nationals, and the team plus the entire Seigaku tennis club were celebrating in the Kuwamura Sushi Shop. Sake were passed about like napkins (one-time courtesy of Taka-san's father), and trouble only became more pronounced as cups were drained faster than Kikumaru's Seal Step.

It's strongly advised not to go to Ryoma for details on what happened that night. Aside from the possibility of being murdered, he could really say nothing as the young tennis prodigy had fallen asleep on the counter even before Taka-san could take his order. Sakuno, being the other party involved, is also not much help on the matter; as the only sign of her being somewhat more alive than Ryoma is the alarming amount of rouge in those usually pale cheeks that night.

In fact, they didn't even know what had happened until the next morning.

Amidst all the hoots and whistles (intercepted with the occasional glare), Ryoma and Sakuno walked into Seishun Gakuen with question marks hovering above their heads – well, Sakuno did, Ryoma had initially assumed that they were simply celebrating Seigaku victory – that is, until Horio and Tomoka respectively led them to the school notice board.

Two bags had dropped to the floor. And everyone just knew.

Momoshiro and Kikumaru were dead.

There, decorated ludicrously with pink hearts and some incoherent writing (which Inui later deciphered to be the kanji for 'love'), was a blown up photo of Ryoma and Sakuno laying faced down on a table, heads turned towards each other, eyes blissfully closed and _lips touching._

Oh yes, Momoshiro and Kikumaru were most definitely dead.

Sakuno had burst into tears. Her hands flew to her face as she wailed loudly. The sound of sobbing followed her down the corridor as the masses stood around, perplexed. Perhaps Echizen had dumped her already? Gossip continued, immune to the situation. A few girls cheered up considerably at that.

Ryoma's reaction, on the other hand, was slightly different.

There was a long silence.

…

Which carried on.

…

And on...

…

And on…

"Echiz-"

A demonically misshapen hand shot out from nowhere (rumours had retold), and Horio stumbled back in alarm. It tore the photo from the wall in one violent action and balled it into a fist.

"Where," Ryoma spoke, "are the upper-year classrooms?"

The voice was calm and controlled, but the fury radiating off Ryoma's frightening still body exceeded that of Taka-san's – Horio had insisted. He weakly pointed to the right and stuttered, "O-Over there."

Indeed. By then Inui had already predicted that Kikumaru and Momoshiro would suffer four bumps on the head each, two black eyes, one bleeding lip and an overall hospital stay of five days. His data proved to be wrong however, as both sportsmen attained seven days in hospital on their own, as well as a school absence record of three extra days. An embarrassed Inui admitted he had forgotten to take Tezuka, Oishi, Kaidoh and Ryuzaki-sensei's share of damage into his report.

However, redemption was at hand. The validity of his data was displayed to all scorners as he announced the probability of Echizen Ryoma and Ryuzaki Sakuno starting a love relationship had increased to 98 percent. It was, of course, proved to be true.

The other 2 percent, he later stated, was if Echizen had been gay.

This landed him two tennis balls on the head, although of course, it was all within calculations.

All in all, their first kiss was not romantic in any way, shape or form. Ryoma didn't care much. Who would? He thought, when all the other kisses after that were absolutely fine and consciously-made. Oishi scolded him for thinking in such a way, and gave him a long-winded lecture that lasted for two hours on the importance of such things to a girl. By the end of it, Ryoma was bored, sleepy, and still didn't understand. Oishi sighed heavily, and thought to himself perhaps it would've been easier if Echizen was gay…

In the other corner, Sakuno _did_ mind. Her puffy eyes after Tomoka finally dragged her out of the toilets proved that. It was her first kiss, and to be taken like that, then displayed before everybody… with her drunk no less! (Sakuno shuddered, remembering her grandmother's anger that night) But, on another note, she was also thankful for it. For without the "incident" – as Tomoka now refers to it by – who knows when she would finally pluck up the courage to ask Ryoma out on a date (if asking him to coach her tennis indeed counts as a date).

Come to think of it, she should be extremely thankful that it was Ryoma and not some other guy. Who knows what would've happened then…

Ryoma had also considered this possibility, and his face soured each time he thought about it. If he had been forced to kiss a girl he didn't even know (or even worse, that Osakada girl), he was sure Kikumaru and Momoshiro would have been in the hospital for a month. And if Sakuno had been unwittingly paired off with another guy, let's just say no amount of surgery will be able to reacquaint the world with either of the sempais' faces.

* * *

The story finished, and Kikumaru and Momoshiro cried unfair.

Ryoma pointedly ignored them.

They whined for credit in his love life, and moaned for him to thank them properly.

Fuji smiled as an anger tick marked the young boy's head.

They wept dramatically and wailed that Ryoma will remain a virgin forever without them.

Sakuno blushed, and Ryoma kicked both sempais out, cheeks aflame; Fuji only smiled broader.

_Mada mada dane..._ Things have only just started getting interesting.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**Gosh, what a lame ending. I'm really sorry, but I couldn't think of any way to end it without it dragging too long.  
I'm going to make this into a drabbles collection, a series of one-shots. It's easier to update that way. But what should I call it? "Drabbles collection" sounds dull, "30 kisses" is overused, but I suppose it'd be okay. Suggestions? Or maybe I shouldn't continue at all :(  
I hope you like this, it's my first time writing a PoT story. I just think this pairing (like so many of my favourite pairings) deserve more love!! 


	2. To Love

**Title:** To Love  
**Rating:** PG  
**Fandom: **Prince of Tennis  
**Pairing:** Ryoma x Sakuno  
**Disclaimer:** Nope, nope and still nope.

* * *

It was during the last year of middle school that she uttered those words to him for the first time. Ryoma had paused in his eating, and stared down at the bento boxes she had packed for him. Everything was silent for a while, and Sakuno felt the weight of the unsaid rejection crush down on the air. 

"G-Gomen nasai, Ryoma-kun." Her shattered voice seemed to mirror her shattered heart as she clumsily stumbled up, tears threatening to spill. She bit her lips tightly and turned to leave.

"Ne, Ryuzaki," Her hand paused on the knob; as the familiar voice drawled behind her, "Did you mean what you just said?"

A tear fell, and she clutched her skirt tightly.

"Hai..."

A gentle breeze swung past, and there was a sound of shuffling. Sakuno almost jumped when a hand clasped onto her shoulder and spun her around. Bright hazel eyes locked onto hers and the familiar swoop of butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She gazed back, not daring to look away.

"Then say it again." He ordered.

Sakuno shivered; her soul felt bare under the intensity of his eyes.

"I…" Her voice faltered and she gulped, trying again. "I love you… Ryoma-kun."

A torturous second passed, Sakuno felt her heart scream at the silence. She waited. Then Ryoma's lips lifted into a smirk. He yanked her towards him unexpectedly and almost laughed when she yelped in surprise. Her lips tasted like cherries and Ryoma was greedy to extract every ounce of it.

He didn't need words, his answer was given.

* * *

"Game set and match. Six games to four. Winner: Echizen Ryoma!" 

Five years later, the same hazel-eyed prince stood at the centre of a tennis court, smirking as he lifted his racket towards the crowd, and laughed as they roared back in reply. He was world no.1 at last, not that it wasn't expected. His opponent stood up and amicably shook hands with the young crowned prince, and barely heard the trademark phrase before the crowd erupted into cheers once again.

"Ryoma-kun!!"

His ears perked up, and the towel dropped from his hands. Carefully, he pocketed a small box into his jacket before turning to see a pretty, braided young woman running towards him.

Ryoma caught her just as she threw herself into his arms, and smiled as the smell of cherries permeated his senses. _Sakuno… _She cried into his shoulders and he swung her around, knowing that she was crying out of joy for him.

"I knew you could do it, Ryoma-kun!"

He set her down gently, as Sakuno wiped her tear-stained face absent-mindedly. Her makeup was smeared and her eyes still red; but Ryoma never thought she looked any better. She brushed a strand of hair from his forehead and leaned into him, whispering, "I love you, I love you…"

Her lips touched his and the crowd "aw"ed at the scene. Blushing, Sakuno drew back quickly, clearly forgetting they were in public. But Ryoma laughed, and pulled her towards him again, capturing her lips in his.

After all, he grinned as his hand enclosed around the small box, this is how it was going to be for the rest of their lives, so she'd better get used to it starting right now.

* * *

_Beep… Beep… Beep… _

"Ano… Ryoma-kun…?"

Ryoma turned away from the window, where the sun was setting, and came to sit beside her. The heart rate monitor beeped monotonously in the background, but they had gotten used to it long ago. Gently, his calloused hands found hers.

"Hn?"

Sakuno stared at the man she married; no longer the handsome samurai who took the world by storm, and no longer the arrogant boy she had a mad crush on. But she found herself falling just the same; falling deeper and deeper as those feline eyes gazed into hers once again, no matter how long ago it was. And it has been a long time.

"Thank you," She said at last, pausing to take another breath. "Thank you for everything."

Ryoma blinked; and his throat hollowed.

"Is it time?" His voice is hoarse, but he didn't bother to clear it. Every moment was precious.

An old and frail Sakuno nodded, her once-brown hair was now grey but still she insisted on wearing it in a single plait. Her face has wrinkled through time and her voice was no longer crisp. Ryoma caressed her hands and barely noticed the warmth on his cheeks. Those innocent almond eyes shone as brightly as they did when they were seventeen, and looked through him; still so clear, still so kind.

"Ryoma-kun…" He had to inch closer to hear her now, for she was barely breathing the words out.

"I…" Her eyes fluttered shut, just as an expression of greatest peace settled on her features. "I will always love you… _always_…"

A gust of wind gently entered their little cottage, and drew the last breath out of Sakuno. Ryoma held onto her hand long after the heart monitor stopped, and his eyes never left her. His biggest fan, his best friend. His wife.

"Ahh…" Ryoma smiled, as he bent down to kiss her a last goodbye. "I know you will."

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**Great now _I_'m sad after writing that last line. Sentimental idiot that I am. The theme strayed from what I wanted to portray, but I like this new version just the same.  
Hope you enjoyed it. 


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